Clearance Letter. Diarrhoea and Vomiting

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1 Exclusion Policy The National Health and Medical Research Council have laid down specific guidelines for the recommended minimum periods of exclusion from childcare facilities for cases of and contact with infectious diseases. These are set out on the following pages of this handbook for your information. Excluding sick children and staff is one of three most effective ways of limiting the spread of infectious diseases. Understandably parents may find this difficult and the centre certainly sympathise with working/ studying parents on this matter however all children and staff in the service need to be considered. A certificate of clearance from a doctor will be required upon returning a child that has had or has been exposed to an infectious illness. You will recognise that we have a responsibility to all staff and children at the Centre to protect their health. The centre may be forced to refuse your child access to the Centre until a clearance certificate has been obtained if your child has suffered from one of the illnesses listed on the following pages of this handbook. National Health and Medical Research Council 2007 The Time Out chart on the next 2 pages, published 2010, by Qld Health clearly states that any non-immunised children will be excluded from childcare when a vaccine preventable disease is present at the centre. This complies with the Public Health Act Qld 2005.

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4 Clearance Letter A clearance letter from your child s doctor may be required if we have any doubt about your child s suitability to return to the centre. Diarrhoea and Vomiting Diarrhoea and vomiting are potentially contagious and it is our policy that if your child is suffering from either of these, regardless of the cause, they must be kept away from the centre. This means that if your child has a loose motion or vomits before leaving home in the morning, the child is NOT to be brought to the centre. We can appreciate that it may be caused by something the child ate, but we can t be sure. We often find that a child who has been sick in the morning usually repeats this throughout the day or even becomes worse and we have to contact you in any case to take the child to a Doctor. The following symptoms will alert you to the fact that your child could be unwell: - Unusual spots or rashes Unusual behaviour (your child is cranky or less active than usual, cries more than usual, feels general discomfort or just seems unwell) Fever Conjunctivitis (tears, redness of eyelid lining, irritation, followed by sweating and discharge) Breathing trouble Mucus discharge from the nose (thick, green or bloody) Diarrhoea Vomiting Loss of appetite Sore throat or trouble swallowing Infected skin patches Severe, persistent or prolonged coughing Frequent scratching of the scalp Headache, stiff neck Yellowish skin or whites of eyes; and Unusually dark, tea coloured urine What to do when a child has symptoms: Consult your Doctor Keep your child away from the centre so that others are not infected Contact an appropriate staff member and enquire if other children are suffering similar symptoms; and Check for exclusion times and procedures in relation to giving medication at the centre Staying Healthy in Childcare Ed (Sept 2006) Injections Injections will not be administered whilst your child attends the centre as staff are unqualified to do so.

5 Child Immunisation Schedule Funded Immunisation Schedule Age Disease Immunised Against Birth 2 Months Diphtheria Tetanus- Whooping Cough 4 Months Diphtheria Tetanus- Whooping Cough 6 Months Diphtheria Tetanus- Whooping Cough 12 Months or at 6 months Measles- Mumps- Rubella Meningococcal C Disease 18 Months Chickenpox 4 years Diptheria Tetanus Whooping Cough Measles- Mumps Rubella Your Local public health unit: Brisbane Southside ph Queensland Health / Queensland Government 2007